I agree: London should maximise the emphasis on the history of the area. Oxford Circus, Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus, Waterloo Place, and Carlton Terrace, together form one of London's only 'period set-pieces'. That one area contains almost all of London's best examples of Regency architecture and design, and the uniformity of the area is extremely rare in what is often described as a 'patchwork' city.

I prefer Piccadilly Circus in its current form. Please, keep London historic, don't try to turn it into a carbon copy of New York, that's not good.

London already has an amazing cosmopolitan feel, very few cities as beautiful and as ancient as London are as buzzing. Paris, well, it's big, but is no match for London.

Tokyo is a bit shit, by the way.

I agree with you and that's why London is unique on its own league but i want that those big LCD screens to go a bit higher than it's current height. Piccadilly circus is kinda dark at nightl i just think that it needs more flashy lights as well.

And other guys please don't call me "Idiot" because my opinion is differ from yours.

Cheers

This kind of small size screen is also very nice which emits a lot of colourful lights at night ( at Westfield )

As anyone looking at the Westminster Council website will know the owners of the buildings in PC, and those that face it in Shaftesbury Avenue and the Haymarket/Coventry St corner occasionally apply to erect screens on their buildings.

This is a pointless exercise as the Council automatically reject any such applications. I personally would draw the line at them reappearing on the London Pavillion building but one or two of the others could accommodate a few IMO.

I can't help thinking the area has lost something since it's 60s heyday (as seen on Page 4 of this thread).

So, a few days ago I was in the area, and forgot to post. The Hyundi screen and the one above have been revealed. They blend seemlessly, and it looks.... odd; compared to what was there before. I'm sorry I have no pictures.

I do agree that London would suit more lights. P.Circus to Leicester Square, TCR Junction and maybe even the large Camden junction could all benefit I feel.

I was saddened to see the Regent Palace closed and being re-built and remodelled. It's art-deco Atlantic bar was a place I remember fondly. I hope that the integral beauty of the structure will be maintained.

The Regent Palace thread got me reminiscing and I have a question, something that is bugging me.
Many years ago - actually in the late 1970’s - I worked in the environs of Piccadilly Circus. However I no longer live in London but overseas and have lost all my old London connections so am not in a position to enquire locally.

I am trying to recall the name of an old pub very near to Piccadilly Circus. It was on the right hand side going up into Glasshouse Street – just up from the relatively new Barclays branch (former Burgerking) under the Coca-Cola sign on Piccadilly Circus. It was a very cosy place, with colourful murals on its interior walls – a surrounding frieze depicting caricatures of people in various states of dissipation and drunkenness which was a pictorial rendering (like in the old Punch Magazine) of the origins and development of the London Gin Laws.

The only pub I see around there now, (via Google street-viewer is a flash place called “Jewel” – but I am not even sure if this is the same building . It could may well be, as I can recall looking out through a window in the pub and seeing the imposing bank building on the very corner of Regent Street on the other side of the road. It was just down from the Regent Palace Hotel. There was also a pub called Snow’s Chop House, - but maybe I am confusing the issue. It definitely was not the Devonshire Arms either, - that was more to the corner of Sherwood Street and is still in business.

Can anyone help with the name or with photos of Glasshouse Street from that era, or suggest another perhaps more appropriate forum for my question?

I have searched on the internet, and can find plenty of old pictures of Piccadilly Circus. But none of Glasshouse Street

While browsing the Westminster Council website today I noticed that 3 planning applications for new illuminated adverts had been rejected. The applications were for the London Pavillion (which was plastered in adverts until the late 70s) and now part of the Trocadero.

I was disappointed by the rejection so phoned the planning dept and the person said that as a listed building they would never allow adverts on this building or indeed any other in the area.

I protested at this saying that this is what PC was known for world wide and he replied that Westminster is known worldwide for it's heritage and therefore a balance had to be struck which meant limiting the hoardings to the one corner site they currently occupy.

I still think it's a missed opportunity as I preferred the look of PC when the signs were not limied to one corner. I hope Clear Channel appeal. What do others think??

I don't care much for the rendering of that screen. They need to go for the orginal look of neon signage and not the led screens.

Sadly these days are gone forever. Westminster Council hates what it sees as the vulgar advertisements and would probably do away with them all if it could.

Fair enough they're gone for good from the London Pavillion building but the one opposite (under the LG sign, initially refused by Westminster Council, granted under appeal!) could happily accommodate a few. As a building it's not a looker !!

I agree: London should maximise the emphasis on the history of the area. Oxford Circus, Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus, Waterloo Place, and Carlton Terrace, together form one of London's only 'period set-pieces'. That one area contains almost all of London's best examples of Regency architecture and design, and the uniformity of the area is extremely rare in what is often described as a 'patchwork' city.

I really want to see the the area recapture the history of the era from the mid twentieth century. The problem is on one side you have the advertisers who want the led screens which are more cost effective and the other the historic preservationist who want no signs at all.

I don't think more screens are the answer but I agree that new lights are needed. I think the area looked good in the past when it was plastered with lights because a balance, which is no longer there, was achieved: the neon signs allowed the old buildings behind them to be seen. The screens, in contrast, conceal whatever is behind them and end up looking ugly because they are too dominating of their location. I was the balance between building and sign which worked so well here.

On a separate note, I do find the Council's claim to be preserving heritage ridiculous when it has recently removed the traffic lights which were of a unique design for the Regent Street/Picaddilly area and replaced them with ugly combined lighting/traffic light columns (like the CCTV/light columns they plonked on Oxford Circus) which look like they belong on a motorway - the new ones are very ugly. The existing street lights around Eros seem to be permanently off now - I hope they are not planning to remove them too.

I don't feel that Picadilly Circus needs changing whatsoever. Especially when you look at London as a whole, there are so many hideous buildings that need knocking down.

I think Picadilly is one London location that is perfect as it is, beautiful stone buildings, the lights are perfect as they are I would not want to see any of those stone buildings covered up. Regent Streets curved buildings are awesome.

The lights add atmosphere, colour and a funky modern vibe and are a historical part of Picadilly which make it the great location it is.